(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and assembly for securing and sealing a dispenser, such as a pump, a valve or other dispensing means with respect to a flanged container. More particularly, the present invention relates to an assembly and method for securing a dispenser to a container without the necessity of complex mechanical operations.
(2) Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable to secure a dispenser such as a pump, a valve, or other dispensing means to a container for storing a liquid product. A typical container may be made of glass and have a neck with an opening for dispensing the product. A flange is included around the opening and has an inwardly directed ledge.
An assembly in accordance with the invention can be used with a pump of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,297 to Pettersen. The Pettersen patent discloses a pump that is mounted with respect to the container through use of a metal mounting ferrule, also termed a mounting cup. The bottom of the skirt of the mounting cup is deformed beneath the container flange to retain the pump and associated seal in place. Such crimping operation requires specialized machinery made specifically for such crimping operation. Thus, filling of the bottle must be accomplished adjacent a relatively complex crimping device. Moreover, since each dispenser must be positioned, and then crimped, the process of crimping the mounting cups is relatively time consuming. In certain applications, it may be desirable to avoid an appearance wherein the end of the mounting cup is crimped, and this is particularly the case in certain cosmetic applications wherein the outward appearance of the package is important.
In designs where the mounting cup has been crimped, it may be desirable to provide an additional appearance sleeve which fits over the mounting cup and obscures the crimped portion of the mounting cup. The use of an additional sleeve adds to the cost of the components and assembly of the components.
It has been proposed to use a hard plastic collar having an annular recess which receives the flange, or bead as it is also termed. An annular retaining rib snap-locks under the flange or bead when installed. Such designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,216,883, 4,193,551 and 4,073,398. The latter patent discloses a retainer collar that holds the annular retaining rib beneath the container flange. The snap-locking feature of such designs typically requires use of hard plastics which are not effective for providing a liquid seal.
Wassilieff U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,502 describes a re-usable stopper for a bottle or like container wherein a sealing element is provided with an annular portion deformable against the container to provide a seal. A sleeve surrounding the sealing element is movable axially from a first position in which the stopper can be removed from the container to a second position in which the sleeve applies radial force to the annular portion of the sealing element and thereby seals the container. Related devices are shown in Honma U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,353, British Pat. No. 1,442,433, German Pat. OLS No. 2,307,715, and Italian Pat. No. 549,372. None of these specifications shows a means of securing and sealing a dispenser with respect to the flange of a container.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly and a method for securing and sealing a dispenser with respect to the flange of a container in a simplified fashion which requires relatively unsophisticated equipment for assembly. In accordance with one aspect of the invention it is desired to provide an assembly and a method for securing and sealing which does not require crimping of the metal mounting cup beneath the flange of the container. In accordance with another object of the invention, it would be desirable to avoid use of an appearance sleeve for obscuring the crimped portion of the mounting cup.